Hidden Past
by riley-drake
Summary: She's been fooling everyone for years. Ever since Mike left. But now, with Mike's shocking reappearance at her high school during senior year, everything she's been trying to hide for so long is at risk to be exposed.
1. Prologue

When people look at her, they see hair and lips. And boobs. They see a confident, flirtacious smile on a drop-dead gorgeous face. They see long legs, barely hidden under a mini skirt. Flip flops, a tight tank top, make up. Tan skin, perfect hair, a fresh manicure and pedicure. Sex kitten eyes, swaying hips, diamond earrings. A Louis Vitton purse, perfectly coordinating jewelry.  
  
They don't see the tears she constantly fights back, the tremble in her lower lip. The hidden pain, the lack of self-confidence. The denial, the betrayel, the depression. The anger, the fear, the misery. The self- loathing, the timidity, the self-blame.  
  
No one sees what she is really like. No one sees how much pain she is in. No one sees how it is all a front. No one but him. It scared her how much he saw into her. How much he knew. How much he could see.  
  
She studied him as he sat next to her, laughing and joking with two of their friends. Of course, he was the one telling the jokes and getting everyone else to laugh hysterically. This had become their lunchtime ritual. Everyday, the four of them got together for lunch and laughed at his jokes. It seemed crazy to her that this time two years ago she never would have been sitting with him. Him, this wonderful guy who made her happy, made her feel special and ok. Somehow he managed to erase all her pain with just a brush of his hand across hers. Which he was doing right now. She looked down at his thumb rubbing slowly across the back of her hand. She smiled slightly, a real smile, realizing that at the moment, she was truly and genuinely happy. Something she had not felt in years. Not since Mike.  
  
It sounded insane to anyone who heard the story, but she had been in love once. When she was only fourteen years old. She had fallen completely, head-over-heels in love with one of her best friends. As it turned out, he felt the same way about her and they began to date. Only to end on bad terms. No one knew the full story. She could never bring herself to finish telling it. She hadn't seen Mike for three years, not since they broke up.  
  
She turned her head away from her friends, scanning the patio area where everyone at the high-class, high-price school at lunch. As she looked around, her heart and breath jolted when her eyes landed on one specific person. He was all the way on the other end of the patio, but she recognized him immediately. It was Mike. She watched as he slowly made his way toward her table, locking his eyes onto hers. She was vaguely aware that Seth was trying to get her attention, clearly distressed that she wasn't breathing correctly and wasn't responding to anyone's calls.  
  
Mike had reached her table. She rose slowly, trying desperately to catch her breath. She couldn't believe. Mike had left the high school after they broke up, for reasons only he, she and his parents knew. The world was moving in slow motion. He studied her face, smiling slightly at the shock and pain flickering across her features. He put his hands in his pockets.  
  
His smile disappeared, replaced with a frown full of pain and torment, as he took in the other three people sitting at her table. One, he recognized as her best friend, Marissa, but the two guys were a mystery to him. He didn't like how happy she had looked with the boy now standing behind her, with a hand on her arm.  
  
He turned his gaze to her. As he spoke, he pulled out a small handgun, aiming it at her, "You don't deserve to be this happy. Everything that is wrong in my life is your fault." He smiled cruelly as her facade crumbled and she began to shake violently. His next words crushed her world, "I HATE YOU!" He fired the gun as he yelled the words. The world was frozen. No one knew what to do. Slowly, he turned the gun toward his own head, "You made my life a living hell. I will never forgive you." He pulled the trigger slowly, and as his body dropped, she regained consciousness, having passed out at the shock of being shot. His aim had not been very good, and the bullet had passed into her shoulder. She watched his lifeless body fall and the tears she had been holding back for years began pouring down her face.  
  
She was vaguely aware of Seth kneeling beside her, holding onto her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to get her to talk to him.  
  
"Sweetie? Talk to me, please. Just say something."  
  
She turned slowly at the concern in his voice and looked into his eyes. Those eyes, which always held such joy when looking at her, were full of fear and concern. Tears continued to fall swiftly down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes. She said simply, "I'm sorry," before slipping back into unconsciousness.  
  
"Summer!" 


	2. Chapter One

Four years earlier...  
  
Summer Roberts confidently walked into the doors of Newport Middle School, making her way to the same locker she had had since she was in fifth grade. Now, as an eighth grader, she had finally reached the top. She was the head of this school. She smiled, noticing her two best friends leaning against their lockers which flanked hers.  
  
"Hey Coop, Hutch," she greeted them as she took the last few steps to reach her locker. She swiftly turned the lock and scanned the pictures that remained on the door from last year. Most were of herself, Marissa and Mike at various parties and vacations.  
  
Marissa Cooper turned to her, after taking in the rest of the hallway, "Hey Sum. So, no new guys to go for this year." Summer only half heard what Marissa was saying; she was busy intently studying a picture of herself and Mike at her last birthday party. She looked at the real thing, lounging indifferently against his locker, shaggy brown hair falling across his eyes. Frowning slightly, she swallowed the urge to tell him how she really felt about him.  
  
Turning slowly, Mike Hutchinson looked her up and down quickly, "New outfit Roberts?" He smirked as a light blush crept into her face, "Take that as a yes. Looks good. Gotta jet." He threw her another satisfied smile before ambling down the hall toward his homeroom. She turned to Marissa, who walked backwards a few steps, "Not touching it. I gotta run too! Peterson's an ass about attendance!" She spun quickly and jogged in the same direction that Mike had strolled.  
  
Summer sighed, before turning and leaning against her locker, banging her head against it lightly. A boy with curly brown hair walked by, stumbling slightly when his eyes caught hers. He blushed and hurried away. Summer snorted lightly, mumbling quietly, "Geek."  
  
Today...  
  
Seth Cohen sprinted through the hospital doors, Marissa Cooper and Ryan Atwood right behind him. He skidded to a halt in front of the information desk, "Roberts. Summer Roberts. Where?"  
  
The receptionist smiled lightly, clicking a few buttons on the computer, "She's still in surgery. Are you a relative?"  
  
Shaking his head and swallowing heavily, he replied, "Boyfriend." And, gesturing to the two behind him, "And best friends. I just... I just need to know how she is. Please." He gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Please!"  
  
She looked at him calmly, before pointing toward the waiting area, "You'll have to wait over there. I'll send someone over as soon as we know anything."  
  
He glared at her disbelievingly, throwing up his arms. Ryan grabbed one arm, guiding him toward the waiting area, "Calm down, man. You're not going to get anywhere by causing a huge scene."  
  
"But... but she's hurt and she's alone. And I'm not with her. And she's alone," he sat down heavily in on of the hard hospital chairs, throwing his head into his hands. "And... and... I can't do anything about it." He looked up at Ryan and Marissa with tears lining his eyes, "She needs to be okay. She needs to be! I got so used to having her around. I don't know what I'd do without her."  
  
"Seth, she'll be ok," Marissa put a hand on his shoulder. "Sum's a trooper. She's been through a lot. She'll make it through this." Tears started rolling down her cheeks, "She'll make it through this."  
  
Just then, Summer's father walked up with a doctor. The three friends stood and Seth rushed over to meet Mr. Roberts. The two men shook hands and Seth searched Mr. Roberts' face for an answer, "How is she? Is she ok?"  
  
Mr. Roberts sighed deeply, "She made it through surgery. The doctors were able to get the bullet out." Seth's face rose with joy, but Mr. Roberts next words broke his optimism, "But she slipped into a coma. The doctors... the doctors..." His voice broke off as he tried to finish but was overcome with emotion. Summer was his only child, and she meant the world to him, even if he never really showed that to her.  
  
The doctor took over where Mr. Roberts left off, "We think the coma came from a combination of the shock of being shot and the depression."  
  
A confused look crossed Seth's features, "Depression? What... depression?"  
  
Mr. Roberts looked up quickly, "You didn't know? Summer's been suffering from depression since she was fourteen. Its varied from mild to quite severe over the past four years. She didn't... why didn't she tell you?"  
  
"No, I didn't know," turning to Marissa, he looked questioningly at her, but didn't need to hear her answer to know the truth. Shock covered her features. Shock so deep there was no way she could have known.  
  
"I had no idea," Marissa sat down slowly, stupefied that her best friend would not share this information with her. Seth dropped into the chair next to her, head back in his hands, trying, without success, to comprehend all the information he had just been given. Ryan stood still, staring into space, his mouth dropped slightly open. He didn't know who to comfort - Marissa was Summer's best friend and his girlfriend, but Seth was her boyfriend and his brother and best friend. He finally made the decision to just stand behind them, one hand on Marissa's shoulder, her hand gripping his tightly, and the other on Seth's, no reaction from his friend at all. The room was completely silent, except for the sound of Marissa's breath catching as she cried uncontrollably, and completely still, except for Seth's shoulders shaking as he tried to contain his tears.  
  
Three years and nine months ago...  
  
Summer ran up the front steps of Mike's house, ringing the doorbell before changing her mind and turning around. She only made it down two steps when the door opened.  
  
"Roberts?"  
  
Her face flushed and she turned around quickly, smiling uncomfortably at Mike, who was leaning against the door frame with a curious look on his face. He pushed himself lightly off the frame and walked down to stand on the same step as her, "What's up? Since when do you play ding-dong-ditch?"  
  
She laughed nervously, wringing her hands near her stomach, "Okay, well. Since never. Umm... I came over because." She paused to take a deep breath to try to calm her nerves, "I came to tell you that I... I... I like you, okay? I really like you. Now I'm leaving before I continue to make an ass of myself."  
  
She hurried down the rest of the steps and was twenty feet down the sidewalk before Mike started to run after her. He caught up to her quickly, as she was trying to jog away in flip flops and he was not only wearing sneakers but the captain of the junior high soccer team, grabbing her arm and spinning her around in front of him. Her face was bright red and she refused to look him in the eye.  
  
Mike laughed lightly, "Hey Roberts? When did you get so shy?" He touched her chin, lifting it up so she had to look at him. She tried to keep looking at the ground, but he wouldn't let her, "C'mon. Roberts? Roberts?" He laughed again, "Summer?"  
  
She looked up, smiling at little, but still blushing, "You never call me Summer."  
  
He laughed, looking down at her with a twinkle in his eye, "Well, it is your name. And, I'm calling you that now, because I like you too. Do you wanna do something this weekend? Just us?"  
  
A wide grin spread across her face, lighting up all of her features. She nodded, smiling even wider as he kissed her softly on the cheek. He waved lightly and turned around, jogging back to his house. She watched as he disappeared through the door before spinning around and jumping up and down. She took off her flip flops, running as fast as she could, sandals in hand, to the end of the street where Marissa lived. As she walked quickly past the house next to her best friend's, she noticed that curly haired boy dragging the garbage cans down to the sidewalk. When her eyes met his, he stumbled, dropping both garbage cans, spilling the trash all over his driveway. She rolled her eyes before hurrying down Marissa's driveway, "Geek."  
  
Today...  
  
Mr. Roberts, Seth, Marissa and Ryan all stood in Summer's hospital room. Seth had yet to actually look at his girlfriend - he didn't think he could handle actually seeing her lying there and not being able to do anything about it. A doctor was standing with them, explaining Summer's current condition, "Her vitals are strong, but she seems to be very deep in this coma."  
  
Seth swallowed harshly, "When will she wake up?" His voice was barely a whisper.  
  
The doctor looked back at Summer before answering, "At this point, that's up to her. It sounds like she was under a lot of stress, and from what her father has told me, she wasn't taking her medications for her depression the way she should have been. Plus, with everything Mr. Roberts and Marissa have filled me in about the boy who shot her, she's probably very scared and very upset. Her body will decide when its ok for her to wake up again."  
  
Marissa couldn't take her eyes off of her best friend, "So, what can we do?"  
  
Sighing, the doctor looked at the four people who cared about the young girl in the bed so deeply, "All you can do, is make her feel safe. Talk to her about things you know she's comfortable with. Let her know that you're here and you're going to help her." He smiled concernedly, before leaving the room.  
  
Mr. Roberts walked slowly over to the bed his daughter was lying in, sitting down in one of the chairs next to it. He reached out for Summer's hand, grasping it lightly between both of his own. He let go with one of his hands, lightly stroking her hair, "Sweetie? It's Daddy. Can you hear me?" He sighed, a tear slowly rolling down his face, "I know I'm not always there for you baby, but I love you and I really want you to open your eyes. Please, for me?" More tears spilled out of his eyes when he got no response, and he leaned his head down on the bed, his shoulders shaking.  
  
Seth finally tore his gaze from the floor and looked over at Summer. He walked over and stood behind Mr. Roberts, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mr. Roberts reached up with one hand, gripping Seth's tightly and crying even harder. Marissa was sobbing silently in the corner of the room, hugging herself tightly until Ryan enveloped her in his arms.  
  
Summer lie motionless on the bed, the only indications of life being the constant beeping of the heart monitor in the background and the slow and shallow rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes moved rapidly underneath her eyelids...  
  
She was... swimming. It felt like she was swimming underwater, only she could breathe. 'Am I a fish?' She looked down at where her legs should have been, but saw a fin. Realization hit, 'I'm a mermaid!' She swam around and around. She could hear voices, but they sounded far away, muffled and muted. It reminded her of the way her parents' voices sounded when they fought, because when she was little, she used to hide in the bathroom when she heard them yelling, running the tap water as fast as it could come out. Their voices were muffled just by the two or three doors and many feet of hallway in between where she was hiding next to the quickly filling tub and where her mother and father were screaming at each other. But when she got in the tub and dunked her head underwater, the angry voices were even more muffled and distant sounding. These voices sounded different though, and she couldn't figure out why. Slowly, the pieces began to fall together - there were more than two voices and the voices all sounded sad, not angry. It couldn't possibly be her father and mother. They were never sad when she hid in the bathroom. Their voices were always angry. Who were these people and why were they so sad? She was perfectly happy and safe, swimming in the vast, empty ocean, all alone, content to swim through the waves, watching the sunlight sparkle on the sandy bottom of the sea. 'Nothing can hurt me as long as I'm here,' she thought as she turned somersault after somersault. Those voices were making her rather curious. She remembered when she was little, she used to bring her ears extremely close to the top of the water so she could tell when the fight was over. Those two little ears, already pierced at the age of five, would never break the surface, but they were so close they almost did everytime. Finally, curiousity got the better of her. She swam up, closer and closer to the ocean's surface, the voices becoming clearer and clearer.  
  
"Summer? Can you hear me? It's Seth. Please wake up. Please. I can't live without you. I love you."  
  
Another conversation was being spoken, just loud enough to hear.  
  
"Marissa, who was this Mike guy?"  
  
"I really think that's something for Summer to explain when she wakes up!"  
  
At the mention of Mike, she dove back down into the depths of the sea, her heart racing...  
  
"Should the heart monitor be doing that? It's going awfully fast!" Seth was panicking, gripping Summer's hand tightly as the monitor beeped much more rapidly than it had been since the group had entered the room.  
  
A nurse came jogging in, checking the monitors and checking Summer's pulse for herself, "She's alright. This is actually a good thing. It's a sign that she's responding to outside stimuli, so she can or could probably hear you."  
  
The monitor was steading out again, return to the slow, monotonous pattern that was easy to block out until it changed. 


	3. Chapter Two

Three years and six months ago...  
  
She took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs of his house, making her way down the plushly carpeted hallway to his room at the end. Raising her hand to knock on the shut door, she paused for a second. 'Is this really my business?' She sighed deeply, knocking quietly on the door, "Mike? It's me."  
  
Noises came from inside the room, and she heard the lock turning and the handle turning. He opened the door enough for her to get in before turning and walking back to his bed, flopping onto it face down. She took a step in, turned and shut the door, and then sat gingerly on the end of his bed. She reached out tentatively and slowly began to rub his back.  
  
"Mike? I don't know if this is any of my business, but Coop told me you quit the soccer team. Is that true?" She jumped slightly as he sat up quickly. He turned to face her but did not actually look, an angry, but thoughtful look on his face.  
  
Finally he looked up, meeting her concerned eyes, "How'd she know about that?"  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Luke, being the asshole that he is, was gloating about how he's the captain now, so he'll probably be the captain in high school. I mean, he's bummed that your not on the team anymore 'cause you were definitely an asset, but he's psyched that he gets to be captain. He's such a jerk sometimes. Honestly, sometimes I don't know what Coop sees in him." She reached out for his hand, trying to decide whether or not to ask him about the other thing she had heard about him. She took a deep breath, deciding she had to know, "Umm... I also wanted to ask you about something Ms. Jacobs talked to me about."  
  
His eyes narrowed, "Ms. Jacobs? Our math teacher talked to you about me? What the fuck?" He pulled his hand out of hers, standing up and pacing back and forth across the room. He stopped suddenly, and turned on her, arms crossed, a glare on his face, "Well? What the hell did she say?"  
  
Summer looked him straight in the eye, anger brewing inside her, "Listen, don't get all mad at me! Ms. Jacobs approached me! She's worried about you! She said you're not doing any work and you've failed the last two tests in there." Anger was swiftly replaced with concern when his face fell and he stared at the floor, shifting his feet nervously. She stood slowly, walking over to stand in front of him, "What's going on babe? Math's your favorite subject. What's the matter?"  
  
He picked his face up, looking deeply into her eyes. Summer took a step back, her breath catching in her throat. His eyes, his beautiful brown eyes that usually held so much joy and humor, were clouded over. She studied him intently, realizing slowly that he looked so sad, so hurt, "Mike, what's the matter?"  
  
Sighing deeply, he went over to his bed, sitting down with his head in his hands. His voice was muffled and sounded choked, almost as if he was holding back tears, when he spoke, "Everything. Nothing seems worth it anymore. I just can't find the motivation to do anything anymore." He looked up at Summer, who had moved to kneel in front of him, her hands on his knees. Their eyes met, his rimmed with tears and so sad, hers, also rimmed with tears, but full of worry. "You're the only thing that makes me happy anymore, really happy. I think... I think I'm in love with you, Summer."  
  
The tears balancing on the edge of her eyes spilled over, as her face broke into a smile. She leaned in and kissed him softly. When she pulled back, the tears in his eyes had also spilled over. She reached out, wiping the salty water from his face, as she spoke the soft words she had been wanting to tell him for a long time, "I'm in love with you too, Mike."  
  
A slightly crooked grin burst across his features as he gathered her in his arms. He buried his face in the soft dark hair spilling around her shoulders, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She couldn't remember how long they stayed like that, but she woke up five hours later wrapped up in his arms to the soft knock of his mother on his bedroom door. She smiled lightly, before sliding out of his grasp, pulling a blanket over his still sleeping body. Kissing him on the forehead, she whispered, "I love you," before walking over to the door, opening it quietly. She exited into the hallway, exchanged good-byes with Mrs. Hutchinson and walked out into the fading light of day.  
  
She walked slowly back to her own house, feeling a combination of joy and concern. Reaching her house, she went around back instead of going in. She made her way to the wall that separated her backyard from the beach below, climbing up and perching on the edge of it, her legs pulled up and hugged to her chest. Resting her chin on her knees, she allowed herself to really cry. She cried for Mike, she cried for herself, she cried for her mother and her father. As the sun sank behind the horizon, she noticed someone walking along the beach heading in the direction of Marissa's house, about a mile down the beach. Looking down, she realized it was the curly haired boy that lived next door to Marissa. As she watched him walk, he looked up and noticed her sitting there. He tripped and fell flat on his face, his gangly limbs sprawled in all directions. She rolled her eyes, spinning around on the wall and climbing down into her backyard, making her way back to the house, "Dork."  
  
Today, two weeks after the shooting...  
  
Seth woke with a start, feeling Summer's hand shift under his. He was alone in the room and had fallen asleep after putting on one of Summer's favorite cds, 'Lucky Eleven' by Stephen Kellogg. The soft music was drifting through the room, enveloping everything within the notes and melodies...  
  
There were no voices anymore, just a constant pulsing rhythm pushing through the ocean. She could also hear her favorite song, but it was distant, like it was playing miles and miles away. Slowly, the ocean began to melt away, and she found herself laying on a bed. She opened her eyes to the realization that she was in Seth's room. She stood up, hearing the song "Such A Way" louder than when she was in the ocean. Walking around the room and trying to find the source of the music, she thought of how happy and safe she felt whenever she was around Seth. Whenever she was even remotely upset or scared, he would sense it and wrap his arms around her. Before they were even together, when they went to Tijuana and Marissa overdosed on her pain killers, Seth held her tightly when they found her passed out in an alley. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. Finally, she realized that the music was coming from out in the hall. She opened the door slowly, shielding her eyes from the intense light that flooded over her...  
  
He watched as her eyes fluttered open, unsure and confused. The beautiful brown eyes flew around the room without comprehension until they landed on Seth's eyes, full of concern and joy. Tears welled up in his eyes as a shy smile spread across his features, and he reached out to smooth her hair, "Hey there stranger." His voice was just above a whisper as he talked to her, a single tear snaking its way down his face, "Welcome back."  
  
She began crying seeing him cry and realizing where she was and remembering why she was there. Taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand to place it on his cheek. Summer wiped away the tear and the damp trail it left behind, "You're really here. I could hear you, but you weren't there. And now you're really here."  
  
Marissa and Ryan stood in the doorway, his arm snaking around to rest on her hip. She turned her head to face him, smiling softly as a few tears escaped from her eyes. She leaned her head down so it rested on his shoulder, "They really do love each other." 


	4. Chapter Three

Today, three days after she woke up...  
  
She was finally allowed to go home, with the promise that she would take her medication properly and start seeing a psychiatrist again. Rolling her eyes, she settled into the mandatory wheelchair to be wheeled out to his car. He was taking her home because, as usual, her father was "unavailable." Smiling at the sight of the Range Rover, she mentally urged the nurse to push faster. She couldn't wait to get out of the hosptial. Finally, the wheelchair reached the curb and she jumped out of the chair, despite the nurse's protests that she needed to be helped up. She rolled her eyes once more, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for picking me up."  
  
He smiled down at her, kissing her lightly on the forehead, "Not a problem whatsoever, m'dear. Ready?" At her nod, he opened the door for her and watched her clamber into the seat. He pushed the door shut again, walking around to get into the driver's seat. Starting the car and pushing play on the cd player, he drove quickly away from the hospital, glad himself to get away from the building in which he spent so much time over the past two weeks. He snaked one hand across the car to hold her hand delicately. Smiling, she closed her fingers tightly around his, rubbing the back of his hand with her other fingers.  
  
"So, how are we feeling?" He smirked, glancing over at her before returning his eyes to the road. Nada Surf floated softly through the car as he turned the car onto the highway.  
  
She smiled back at him, taking in his profile, the concentration he was giving to driving, but at the same time, the concentration he was giving to clinging to her hand. She quickly wiped away a single tear, while responding, "WE are doing just fine, thank you. I was SO ready to get out of that place. It smelled like death, Seth."  
  
His nose wrinkled in disgust, "Sum. That's nasty. I really didn't need that imagery."  
  
Giggling, she apologized quickly. She gripped his hand tightly as they drove closer and closer to her house. She didn't want to go back into that house. Her father was just going to be there with a new psychiatrist and a new round of drugs. She didn't need a shrink and she didn't need drugs. She just needed Seth, "Do you think we could go hang out at the beach for a little while before we go home?"  
  
Seth shook his head, "Can't. I promised your dad that I would bring you straight home. And we all know that his opinion of me is shaky at best. So I can't go back on the promise."  
  
She sighed, gazing out the window, allowing her grip on his hand to loosen. The soft music and hum of the car slowly lulled her to sleep, her eyes catching a last glimpse at the warm beach as they closed lightly.  
  
Three years and three months ago, one month after he said "I love you"  
  
She stood outside the door to his bedroom, her fist poised to knock. It froze midair at the sound of the screaming inside. She could hear her two best friends, now dating, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about Mike? I have never cheated on you and I never will! I can't believe you're accusing me of doing that! And especially with Jake! You know that I can't stand him! Why the fuck would I hook up with him?"  
  
"You fucking bitch! You're lying to me! You're lying! I KNOW that you're cheating on me! I KNOW that you're hooking up with HIM! You won't have sex with me, but you'll have sex with HIM? I can't believe you! You dirty, slutty bitch!"  
  
Marissa coiled back as she heard the sound of a hand meeting a face. She started to turn to leave, but was caught by the door being wrenched open. Summer stormed partway out, turned to glare back at Mike, screaming, "Do not ever, EVER, call me that again! I am NOT lying! You ASSHOLE!" She slammed the door shut as hard as she could, flying past Marissa, tears flying down her face.  
  
The bedroom door opened slowly, and Mike appeared, a red handprint standing out clearly on his lightly tanned cheek. He looked miserably at Marissa, who in turn placed her hands on her hips, fixing him with a death glare.  
  
"I've really done it this time, haven't I?"  
  
Refusing to answer, Marissa gave him one more pointed look, before turning on her heel and hurrying down the stairs. She ran out the door, and spotted Summer down the street, still running. Marissa ran after her, catching up only when reaching Summer's house. They ran together up to Summer's room, where she threw herself onto her bed, sobbing. Marissa sat down lightly on the edge of her bed, softly rubbing her back until the wails subsided.  
  
Summer sat up, her face blotchy and tear-stained. She stared out the window, a few more tears escaping her eyes. It was then that Marissa noticed the bruise on her arm. 


End file.
